| Dimensions | 161w x 54d x 59h cm 63,38w*21,25d*23,22 h inches |
|---|
Antique Furniture, Chest
IS-016-CA
$7,656.00
This rustic antique chest dates back to the mid-1600s but is obviously in a style typical of the 1400s. The craftsman who constructed this chest has clearly copied the Gothic style, reviving it in a later era. The structure of the chest was made totally in Italian walnut. Some of the mouldings and the two feet were replaced during restoration. The decoration on the front is very plain. It consists of two rosettes engraved into a pointed flower form. The polish is in shellac, which was later finished with beeswax to exalt the precious walnut wood grain. The history of the chest as a piece of furniture is somewhat curious.
The past reminds us that the chest is the oldest piece of furniture that we know of. It was already present during the Middle Ages because at that time homes were intended for multiple extended families who lived in a community; each family possessed only one room that had to meet a wide variety of needs. The chest was therefore the home furniture considered to be fundamental as it was used both as a container for clothes, linens, money, valuables, and as a seat when the cover was closed. It might even happen that, in absence of beds, it was also used as a surface for sleeping.
